Respect (Japanese / Simplified version)

We show respect by speaking and acting with courtesy. We treat others with dignity and honor the rules of our family, school and nation. Respect yourself, and others will respect you.

禮 is also one of the five tenets of Confucius.

禮 can also be translated as propriety, good manners, politeness, rite, worship or an expression of gratitude.

Please note that Japanese use a simplified version of the character for respect - it also happens to be the same simplification used in mainland China. Click on the character to the right if you want the Traditional Chinese version.

Honor (Japanese / Simplified version)

This version of honor is about having or earning the respect of others and about your reputation.

It is the status of being worthy of honor (not to be confused with doing honorable things or specific actions - see our other "honor" listing for that).

Both modern Japanese and modern mainland Chinese use the same simplified version of the second character of honor. You can make a special request for the traditional second character as shown to the right (just click on that character to the right of you want to order that version). Before WWII, both Japan and China used the traditional form but modern Japanese and Chinese use this simplified form. Koreans still use the traditional form when they are not writing in their modern Hangul glyphs.

Courtesy / Etiquette

lǐ yì

rei gi

In Japanese, this word means "manners," "courtesy" or "etiquette."

This also clearly means etiquette in Chinese, though the first Japanese Kanji has been "modernized" and happens to be the same as the modern Simplified Chinese version. Therefore, this word will be understood by both Japanese and Chinese people but best if your audience is mostly Japanese (Chinese people would generally prefer the ancient Traditional Chinese version).

Banzai

We've made two almost identical entries for this word. 萬歲 is the modern Japanese way to write banzai. In the last century, the first character was simplified in Japan and China. The new generation will expect it to be written this way but the old generation can still read the more traditional form. You must make your own determination as to what version is best for you. If your audience is mostly Japanese, I suggest this form.

While it has become a popular if not an odd thing to scream as you jump out of an airplane (preferably with a parachute attached), banzai is actually a very old Asian way to say "hooray." The Japanese word "banzai" comes from the Chinese word "wan sui" which means "The age of 10,000 years." It is actually a wish that the Emperor or the Empire live that long.

Imagine long ago as the Emperor made a rare public appearance. 萬歲 is what all of the people would yell to their leader in respect.

So if you like is as a hooray, or you want to wish someone that they live for 10,000 years, this is the calligraphy for you.

To other things with banzai in their names; I am still waiting for the promised sequel to Buckaroo Banzai.

Other translations: hurrah, long life, congratulations, cheers, live long.

Notes: Sometimes people confuse banzai with bonsai. A bonsai is a miniature tree. They have nothing to do with each other. Further, bonzai is not a word at all - although it would make a great name for a calcium supplement for older people.

The following table may be helpful for those studying Chinese or Japanese...

Title

Characters

Romaji(Romanized Japanese)

Various forms of Romanized Chinese

Respect (JapaneseSimplified version)

禮礼

rei

lǐ / li3 / li

Honor (JapaneseSimplified version)

名譽名誉

meiyo

míng yù / ming2 yu4 / ming yu / mingyu

ming yü / mingyü

CourtesyEtiquette

礼儀 / 禮儀礼仪

rei gi / reigi

lǐ yì / li3 yi4 / li yi / liyi

li i / lii

Banzai

萬歲万岁

banzai

wàn suì / wan4 sui4 / wan sui / wansui

In some entries above you will see that characters have different versions above and below a line.In these cases, the characters above the line are Traditional Chinese, while the ones below are Simplified Chinese.

Successful Chinese Character and Japanese Kanji calligraphy searches within the last few hours...

When the calligrapher finishes creating your artwork, it is taken to my art mounting workshop in Beijing where a wall scroll is made by hand from a combination of silk, rice paper, and wood.
After we create your wall scroll, it takes at least two weeks for air mail delivery from Beijing to you.

Allow a few weeks for delivery. Rush service speeds it up by a week or two for $10!

When you select your calligraphy, you'll be taken to another page where you can choose various custom options.

The wall scroll that Sandy is holding in this picture is a "large size"single-character wall scroll.We also offer custom wall scrolls in small, medium, and an even-larger jumbo size.

Professional calligraphers are getting to be hard to find these days.Instead of drawing characters by hand, the new generation in China merely type roman letters into their computer keyboards and pick the character that they want from a list that pops up.

There is some fear that true Chinese calligraphy may become a lost art in the coming years. Many art institutes in China are now promoting calligraphy programs in hopes of keeping this unique form
of art alive.

Even with the teachings of a top-ranked calligrapher in China, my calligraphy will never be good enough to sell. I will leave that to the experts.

The same calligrapher who gave me those lessons also
attracted a crowd of thousands and a TV crew as he created characters over
6-feet high. He happens to be ranked as one of the top 100 calligraphers
in all of China. He is also one of very few that would actually attempt
such a feat.

Some people may refer to this entry as Respect Simplified Version Kanji, Respect Simplified Version Characters, Respect Simplified Version in Mandarin Chinese, Respect Simplified Version Characters, Respect Simplified Version in Chinese Writing, Respect Simplified Version in Japanese Writing, Respect Simplified Version in Asian Writing, Respect Simplified Version Ideograms, Chinese Respect Simplified Version symbols, Respect Simplified Version Hieroglyphics, Respect Simplified Version Glyphs, Respect Simplified Version in Chinese Letters, Respect Simplified Version Hanzi, Respect Simplified Version in Japanese Kanji, Respect Simplified Version Pictograms, Respect Simplified Version in the Chinese Written-Language, or Respect Simplified Version in the Japanese Written-Language.